On Tuesday, July 19, 2011 10:21:39 PM, Allen Weiner wrote: > Say I have a version of Fedora with a custom kernel that I wish to test. > Is it possible to install this as a KVM guest virtual machine? If so, > how? > > I've found online lots of examples of how to install a standard OS as a > KVM guest virtual machine. Installation requires a CD, DVD, or an ISO > image on HDD. I haven't found any mention of how to install a custom OS. > The closest possibility I've found is the "virt-install" command. > According to the man-page, the "location" parameter specifies an > "installable distribution image". I interpret "installable distribution > image" to mean an ISO image. > > I'm specifically looking to do this on KVM, not on VirtualBox or VMWare. > > I would expect the kernel developers do this all the time, and I'm > surprised I haven't found anything.
The normal way I'd install a custom kernel in a virtual machine, regardless of whether it's KVM or VirtualBox, is to first boot the virtual machine using the standard kernel, then to copy the custom kernel to the virtual machine over the network and install it on the virtual machine. I personally prefer to do this by compiling the kernel on a different VM that's dedicated for building kernels, and build the kernel into a package, which makes custom kernels easy to install and remove. Your other option is to open the Virtual Machine Manager, open Virtual Machine Details under the Edit menu, select "Details" in the toolbar, and change go to "Boot Options" on the left side and chagne the settings under the "Direct kernel boot" by clicking on the drop-down arrow next to that item in the main window. So if for some reason you absolutely need to boot a custom kernel even on the first boot of the VM, I think this is the option you'll need to use. -- -- Chris Chris Knadle [email protected] _______________________________________________ Mid-Hudson Valley Linux Users Group http://mhvlug.org http://mhvlug.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mhvlug Upcoming Meetings (6pm - 8pm) MHVLS Auditorium Aug 3 - Scala - 100th MHVLUG meeting Sep 7 - DIY 3D Printing and the Makerbot Thing-o-Matic Oct 5 - Distributed Authentication Systems
